Newcastle Conservatives have today selected two of the three candidates who’ll contest the city’s seats at the next general election.

In Newcastle upon Tyne East, they’ve picked Dominic Llewellyn (who has a great website here). Since graduating from Newcastle University, Dominic has worked in the voluntary sector both at home and abroad as well as working for a property company. He is currently working at The Shaftesbury Partnership working on designing and delivering social reform, specifically around unemployment. Dominic enjoys playing and watching good sport, reading and good company! He is a Governor of Excelsior, Newcastle’s only City Academy. In 2007, Dominic married his wife Becca – who grew up in Newcastle and went to Heaton Manor – and they live in the heart of the constituency, in Heaton.

Dominic is up against Labour’s Chief Whip, Nick Brown, in third place behind the Liberal Democrats. Rallings & Thrasher say he needs a swing of 19.9 per cent to gain the seat.

In Newcastle upon Tyne North, they’ve chosen Stephen Parkinson. Stephen was born in North Shields in 1983, and his family have lived on Tyneside for generations. His grandmother grew up in a mining family in Netherton Colliery, and his dad began his career at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. Stephen is a comprehensive boy who won a place to study history at Cambridge, and he published his first book earlier this year. He’s been Director of Research at the Centre for Policy Studies, and a key member of the Party’s campaign team, producing the literature for the Crewe & Nantwich, Henley, and Norwich North by-elections.

The Labour MP for Newcastle North, former Europe Minister Doug Henderson, is stepping down at the next election and the Labour Party have imposed an all-women shortlist on local activists. The Conservatives are in third place behind the Lib Dems, and need an 18.3 per cent swing to win.

Both Dominic and Stephen have been campaigning across Newcastle for the past year as part of the City Seats Initiative. A third candidate, for Newcastle Central, will be selected later this week.